Informal traders want govt to create a conducive working environment

Informal traders in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro hope government will create a conducive working environment and provide resources for them. Informal traders operate from different townships in the Metro. They face challenges such as crime.

KwaZakhele is a place where informal traders have operated for decades. Near the Njoli taxi rank, Nozipho Memani is a fruit vendor. She hopes her vote will bring job opportunities for her children and improve the conditions under which they trade.

Memani says they were promised trading shelters since 1994 and that has still not materialised.

“The situation here is not nice. We want jobs for our children, shelters to operate our business under. Crime is also high here which puts our lives in danger.”

The conditions in the area are filthy and pose severe health risks. Informal trader Nozukile says that the business is not sustainable.

“We are struggling, but we voted for our situation to change here. We need jobs, this business is not sustainable.”

In Govan Mbeki Avenue, where shelters have been built, vendors are struggling to pay rent. They hope government will help grow their businesses.

Birame Ndiaye, a foreign national, is now naturalised. He too voted.

“Business is slow, but I voted on Wednesday anyway. We want parking for our customers, we all want different things.”

As the African National Congress (ANC) returns to government, the areas informal traders cling to hope.

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